Saturday, July 10, 2010

Education Loans in India - FAQ

Students perusing Higher Education don’t have to struggle hard anymore to finance their Studies as now many Banks in India have are providing student loans. Not only loans, private foreign banks also seem to be interested in funding students, enthusiastic enough to announce scholarships for bright and deserving students.

With expensive professional education becoming mandatory for people across the country, a student loan seems the most effective way to tide over these expenses. Most students expect to land high salaries at the end of their professional training and are likely to be in a position to repay these loans over a period of time

What does one needs to look at in order to choose a loan?

Ideally, take a loan from a bank located at your place of study than one located where you reside, unless it concerns overseas studies. This is because you will have better access to funds if you take a loan from the place of your study. Secondly, Make sure the repayment period starts only after six to twelve months after you begin your working life. And thirdly, Banks typically prefer to finance students who opt for traditional courses.

For What Professional Courses do Banks generally provide education loans ?

Management students are among the top choices for most of the banks. Technology students from the country's premier institutions can also get student loans from Banks and Medical and engineering college students.

Banks don’t provide loans for students with a bachelor's/master's in Arts . Also, for courses where employment prospects are less (as per Bank’s own evaluation), loans are sanctioned on the basis of the parents' income.

How much Loan you can get ?

Loan for Studies in India Most of the Public Sector Banks in India have categorized Student Loans in two categories. For Studies in India , Students can borrow up to Rs 4 lakh without providing any security or margin. A loan amount of Rs 4 lakhs to Rs 7.5 lakhs can be availed against a third-party guarantee. This loan comes with a five percent margin (what this means is that you will get five percent less the amount sanctioned as loan; you will have to put together the rest of the money). The third-party guarantee can come from an uncle, neighbor or friend standing guarantee for the full amount.

Overseas study loans : Amounts worth Rs 7 lakhs and above are usually sanctioned against fixed deposits, NSC certificates, property worth the loan amount and a margin amount of 15 percent (what this means, again, is that you will get 15 percent less the amount sanctioned as loan; you will have to put together the rest of the money). Also, if a loan below Rs 4 lakhs comes at x rate of interest, the loan over Rs 4 lakhs is usually charged one percent higher interest. The Reserve Bank of India prescribes the specifics (amount, rate, repayment period) of education loans and the government provides a two per cent subsidy on these loans to the banks.

Important Note : Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has recently formed a working group to address the issue of student loans and the rising rate of default. The group has submitted its findings to the Reserve Bank of India and the main suggestion is to make it mandatory for parents or guardians, of the student borrowing loans, to be co-borrowers thereby making them liable for repayment.

Repayment - Course period + 1 year or 6 months after getting job, whichever is earlier.

Documents required for applying a Student Loan ?

All students are required to submit mark sheets of last qualifying examination, poof of admission scholarship, schedule of expenses for the specified course, his/her bank account statement for the last six months, an income tax assessment order for the previous two years, a brief statement of assets and liabilities, of the co-borrower, which is usually the parent or guardian and proof of income, if any.

Some banks require all or any of the following documents as pre sanction documents:

To furnish the following documents along with the completed application form. Relevant information would relate to the guardian and the student both, when the loan is jointly taken.

1)Mark sheet of last qualifying examination for school and graduate studies in India
2)Proof of admission to the course
3)Schedule of expenses for the course
4)Copies of letter confirming scholarship, etc.
5)Copies of foreign exchange permit, if applicable.
6) 2 passport size photographs
7) Statement of Bank account for the last six months of borrower.
8) Income tax assessment order not more than 2 years old
9) Brief statement of assets and liabilities of borrower.
10)If you are not an existing bank customer you would also need to establish your identity and give proof of residence.

What is the Interest rate charged for Student/education loan ?

Most banks are vying with each other to aggressively market personal loans. The student loan segment is being viewed as vast untapped potential. Citibank and ICICI Bank are offering equally competitive schemes. Almost every prominent bank in the country has a student loan scheme in some form. What matters the most to an individual is obviously the cost of credit the terms and conditions for education loans. These, like any other loan, vary among banks. Besides pricing of the product, the most important thing is documentation requirement and the quality of service offered by the bank and the speed at which the loan is approved.

Some banks, such as SBI, also give you a choice between fixed and floating interest rate. Whereas, private and foreign banks offer loans with a fixed interest rate, some banks charge interest on a daily or monthly reducing balance.

Eligibility for getting a loan:

The applicant should be an India National
The applicant must have secured admission to professional/ technical courses through Entrance Test Selection process
Secured admission to foreign university/ Institution

Which Banks are offering Education Loans in India ?

Most of the Private Sector banks, Foreign Banks and Public Sector Banks in India are providing Student Loans. You can visit Banks offering Student Loans in India for an overview of various loan Schemes offered by banks in India